


The Antithesis

by Spklvr



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alpha Hannibal, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Canon-Typical Violence, Chilton bashin, Dark Will, Hannibal is a Cannibal, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Verse, Omega Will, sorry dude
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-22 12:26:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7439186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spklvr/pseuds/Spklvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A single omega cannot live without an alpha, or so they tell Will. After his father’s death, nineteen year old Will is sent to a match making to find a proper alpha that can provide for him. None impress him, until he meets the Lithuanian doctor that manages to sweep even cynical Will off his feet. But happily ever after will not come that easily for the omega.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Offering

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic came out way later than I intended it to. I was being very nitpicky about how it turned out. I hope everyone enjoys it. This is sort of a companion piece to my other fic The Baby, but they are not connected in plot and one can easily be read without the other. If you want a happier omegaverse Hannigram, The Baby might be more for you.

Will closed his eyes and saw the sun sparkle in the ripples of the lake, felt the grass between his fingers and the strong stream of water cooling his feet that were burning from the walk there in clammy shoes. A fishing rod was propped up next to him, but for now he did not care much if anything was caught. Two of his dogs were sleeping next to him, while the three others were scaring the fish away by playing in the water. The largest of the three picked up a long stick and carried it proudly while the other dogs grasped for it, but were too small to reach. Unexpectedly, something pulled on the rod and Will reeled it in. It was a spotted bass, still too young and small in size to eat. He unhooked it and planned to throw it out, when suddenly Balto, an unruly, little Husky mix as his namesake was, took it from his hand and ran off with it. Will chuckled as he watched the dog find a spot in the shade where he could eat his prey in peace. 

Will opened his eyes and looked up at the high ceiling of the dimly lit matchmaking convention center. There were no windows that allowed him to tell what time of day it was or for how much longer he would have to stay in there. The murmur of people was deafening and torturous, especially for him, who had spent so little time in crowds to begin with. For as long as he could remember, it had only been him and his father in that rundown hut out in the middle of Nowhere, Louisiana. And as his father was always either drunk or working, it had mainly been him and the dogs. That was why when his father died, Will hadn’t given it much thought. He would just be there by himself like he always had. But in the eyes of the law, apparently an omega could not live without an alpha. Especially when that omega was broke and uneducated like Will was. 

Thus he found himself in his current predicament, at the too young age of nineteen, at a matchmaking and being offered to any old alpha that was willing to pay for him. Much like breeding stock. He was dressed in a white shirt and slacks, clothes nicer than he had ever worn in his life, and sat in an uncomfortable wooden chair, and was told to smile. Sitting behind their desk was some social worker whose name and face Will had not bothered to remember, and was instead referring to as Suit Fourteen. He was a beta who’d obviously had all his hopes and dreams crushed by the world long ago, and took it out on those around him with his sarcastic remarks and general lack of joy. 

The booth was three walls of clinical white, hiding the other omegas from his view. Though if he listened closely, he could hear a mix of excited gasps and cries of despair. They were a varied bunch at this auction. Usually the matchmakings were smaller, catering to only a specific audience, but Will had been hauled to a massive one, with a few hundred omegas “looking for marriage prospects”, and twice the number of alphas and betas drooling over them. The offering would take place in another room. 

An alpha came up to their booth and showed his financial statements to Suit Fourteen, who approved of his wealth and allowed him to see the folder containing Will’s information, along with a few “tasteful” nudes to give them a taste. Of course Will was a young and unmated omega, and would most likely fetch a high price regardless of his appearance. Down in the south, omegas didn’t stay virgin for as long as they used to anymore. Though the loss of virginity was rarely voluntary as far as Will understood it. “He’s attractive,” the alpha told Suit Fourteen, who agreed with all the enthusiasm he could muster, which was none at all.

“Yes, he’s a good catch. He is expected to reach a high offering.” They couldn’t call it bids out loud, as that might make the whole matchmaking process sound too much like the auction it was, and one couldn’t with a good conscience auction off a human being, not even an omega. 

As the alpha turned his attention to Will, Suit Fourteen felt free to glare angrily at Will’s depressive demeanor. Will put on a forced smile, but didn’t care much for this particular alpha. The alpha left his folder, which meant he was interested in making an offering, and as he left after a quick conversation with Suit Fourteen, Will picked it up and glanced at it. The profile picture made Will snort out loud, making the effort to put on a fake smile worth it just for that second of not feeling dread. As for the alpha’s hobbies, they included long walks on the beach, skiing and holidays in Spain. Generic and fake, and judging by his profile picture, that was pretty much what this alpha was. He carelessly threw it onto the pile of folders he had been given, making Suit Fourteen groan as it slid onto the floor. 

“Can’t believe anyone would pay for you,” Suit Fourteen grumbled as he picked up the papers from the floor. “You are the most dreadful omega I have met.”

“What are you talking about? I am positively peachy,” Will deadpanned and groaned. He looked down at his feet, too bored of staring at the back of white booths, when he felt another alpha enter their space. There was something different about him. He smelled of wood and metal, and it was as if the air around them changed as he entered. Will saw his shoes first; black and immaculately polished. As Will’s gaze moved up, he saw the rather garish three-piece suit he was wearing, but somehow made work. His body was lean and strong, but not overly burly like some alphas were. His jawline was strong, his lips pouting and his cheekbones striking. Wrinkles around his eyes and streaks of gray in his dark blonde hair revealed his age to be around forty. Something about him gave Will shivers. 

“Are you not fond of eye contact?” the alpha asked, startling Will, who had yet to be spoken to by anyone that wasn’t Suit Fourteen. 

Will forced himself to meet the man’s eyes. Why, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps to prove himself as braver than he was. Normally he could see people when he looked them in the eyes, mirror to the soul and all, but this alpha’s eyes were unreadable. There was a smirk on his face and kindness in the way he looked at him, yet his eyes told him nothing. “Not always,” Will replied. 

“Sir, I need to see your financial statements before you inspect the omega,” Suit Fourteen said bluntly, and there it was. Lasting for no more than a split second and only visible in the form of a slight dilation of the pupils, Will saw anger in the alpha’s eyes.

“Certainly,” he replied politely, and handed over his information. Suit Fourteen immediately became more pleasant, and practically shoved Will’s folder onto the alpha, conveniently open on the nude pages. The alpha flipped past them quickly, and instead read up on his medical information, hobbies and past. All of which said very little. 

“Both of your parents passed away?” he asked. 

“Accidents!” Suit Fourteen was quick to state. “No hereditary conditions, as you can see in the medical records.” 

“That must have been horrible, William.”

“I prefer Will.”

“I apologize, Will.” His smile was kind and apologetic, could almost fool him for genuine. 

“He was found to be of sound mental health.” The shitty state psychiatrists had been easy enough for Will to fool into thinking that. Rather an alpha than stay at the young omega home he was currently in, being prodded by overly caring older omegas telling him to cry and open up about his feelings. 

“May I ask how they passed away?” Hannibal asked. He walked closer to Will, making the omega look up at him. If it was any other alpha, Will would have thought it was a power play, a way to show dominance, but with this man, he couldn’t tell. He emanated plenty of dominance without resorting to such petty power play. In fact, he seemed like a man that would consider such displays beneath him. 

“His mother drowned when he was young,” Suit Fourteen said just as Will opened his mouth to speak. “His father passed away in a boat engine accident.”

“Boat engine accident?”

“It blew up and the propeller flew into his eye socket,” Will explained, realizing there was a lack of emotion in his voice that might be considered undesirable, but the man seemed more interested than ever. There was a faint glimmer of emotion in eyes again. A spark of interest. 

“You don’t appear very upset about your father’s passing.”

“I am devastated,” Will stated matter-of-factly. It wasn’t a lie per se. He was devastated about a lot of things. Losing his dogs, his home in the woods, the lake, everything he had known in his life. Things like that tended to make a person devastated. Losing his father was not on that list though. 

“My name is Hannibal Lecter,” he said as he held out a hand for Will to shake. Will took it hesitantly. “I am afraid I am only here visiting. I reside in Baltimore, but have spent the last week here attending a conference. If I asked for your hand in marriage, would you mind moving?” 

“He wouldn’t mind at all!”

Subtle as the change was, Hannibal was positively seething with rage at Suit Fourteen, and Will found it immensely entertaining. “As young Will has demonstrated an ability to talk, I see no purpose for your speaking on his behalf.” Hannibal returned his focus on him, and reached out tentative fingers to touch Will’s cheek, but moved slowly, as if asking for permission first. Will granted him. 

“I know nothing about you besides your name,” Will said, desperate to learn more about this man that was so difficult to read.

“I am a psychiatrist. I am from Lithuania, but spent much of my youth in France and Italy. One of my passions is cooking. I hope you don’t mind relinquishing the kitchen to me.”

“My cooking always involve fire one way or the other, so I think that’s for the best.”

Hannibal grinned. “Good. I hope you will accept my offering.” He did not say goodbye as he left, feeling that a farewell was not necessary. Will tallied up all he knew of this alpha. He was wealthy, had been for a long time. That was easy to tell by the way he carried himself, like royalty. He was confident, but had the intelligence and knowledge to back it up. He did not tolerate rude behavior, and Will had many bad traits, but uncalled for rudeness was not one of them, and the alpha saw and appreciated that. He was dangerous, no doubt. Though it was most likely only shown in the way he manipulated those around him to act the way he wanted, it wouldn’t surprise Will if he had murdered someone. 

Will was fine with that.

Another few hours passed before Will was taken to a different room, stored behind a dark stage like a prop with twenty other omegas of varying states of distress. They were seated on worn couches while their guardians either sat with them or paced nervously around the room, worried their omega wouldn’t fetch a good price. Will was fourth, enough time to make him impatient, but not enough time to properly tune it all out, close his eyes, and return to his memory palace.

The first one to go out there was a young girl, same age as Will most likely, and too young. Her guardian was also a social worker, and he nodded in greeting at Suit Fourteen as he walked her out on the stage. Will expected her to return, but as the shouts stopped, only the social worker came back in, said an emotionless goodbye to Suit Fourteen and left. It was the same with the next two, only the guardians returned, and Will pictured images of virgin sacrifices. Being thrown into a volcano didn’t seem too bad. 

Suit Fourteen sighed and stretched his legs. “You’re up, kid.” He followed him out of the room, where they were ushered out on the stage, further away than Will had initially believed. Out there he was blinded by light, and as his glasses had been taken to improve his appearance, it was hard to make out the crowd. Hard to spot the one alpha that had caught his interest and treated him like a human being. It seemed Hannibal’s manipulations were already working.

“Here we have a beautiful, unmated, nineteen year old omega. Lowest accepted offering is at fifty thousand dollars. Is anyone interested in making an offering?”

Will had to laugh. This really was just like an auction. He hadn’t exactly expected the romantic crap he had read in trashy romance novels, but there had to be more to it than this. A few alphas made their offerings, until Will reached a very respectable eighty thousand, but had not heard the deep, soft, accented voice he wanted to hear. 

“A hundred thousand.” There it was.

Will knew he was not to respond himself, and he looked towards Suit Fourteen, hoping his eyes would demand him to accept. There was no reason for him not to at that price. 

“One hundred and ten!” another alpha cut in, making Will let out a quiet growl. 

“Please accept Lecter’s offering,” he pleaded with the man, though he knew that was useless. This beta was too broken by the world to care about what a young omega wanted. All he cared about was money and how good selling off an omega for over 100K would look.

“If he makes a higher offering, sure.”

Will sighed and was happy to hear Hannibal’s voice say “Hundred and fifty.” Sure, he was young and unmated, but for a skinny, uneducated omega from the middle of nowhere, that price was just ridiculous. Luckily, it seemed the competition thought the same and backed out and withdrew their offer completely. 

“You are lucky, brat,” Suit Fourteen said as they escorted Will off the stage in a different direction than they had come. “If he hadn’t withdrawn his offer, I would have taken it instead of Lecter’s even if it was lower.” Will remained quiet, knowing what would come out of his mouth would surely be rude, and he was not about to anger his approaching alpha this soon. It was harder to contain as Suit Fourteen leaned against him and whispered close to his ear. “If you didn’t have that pretty face, you’d be sold for scraps. Know that.” His expression changed to resemble someone mildly content as Hannibal reached them and put his hand cautiously on Will’s shoulder. “Good luck on your marriage, Dr. Lecter,” Suit Fourteen said. “I am sure you will be happy together.” 

“As am I,” Hannibal responded, and led Will out of the room and into an empty corridor. The fluorescent lights were maddeningly bright against the white walls, but at the very least it was quiet. “What did he say to you?” Hannibal asked, his voice a touch harsher than his normal soft mannered way of speaking.

“We got off on the wrong foot is all,” Will said, wanting this out of his world. “Where are we going now?” he asked, making some attempts at sounding meek, but that was not a voice he was used to producing. The attempt nearly had him coughing. 

Hannibal, still resting his hand on Will’s shoulder, pulled him slightly closer. “First I will settle all the financial paperwork, then we will sign the marriage certificate. After that we go back to our hotel and return by plane to Baltimore.” 

“Okay.”

“Are there any belongings you would like to retrieve before we leave? I can assure you that I am able to provide you with anything you desire of material objects, but if there is anything of sentimental value to you-”

“It’s okay. They took it all.” He had watched as they took away his dogs in cages, packed up all his books, fishing equipment and handmade lures, and put a lock on the door. All he had been allowed to bring to that home for pathetic lonely omegas was a single plastic bag of clothes, and even those had been taken from him. Apparently they were rags, only suitable for cleaning with, and he was given hand-me downs. Clothes more appropriate for a young omega looking for an alpha. 

The large hand on his shoulder squeezed tighter, and they started moving through the corridor. It wasn’t long before Will was paid for and married to Dr. Hannibal Lecter. 

 

~~~

 

They were staying at an expensive hotel. Hannibal’s suite was large and made of marble and dark wood panels. It had a separate bedroom, one Will had no desire to see just yet as he walked through the living and dining room, and ran a finger along the massive mahogany table while watching the sofas that looked more expensive than comfortable. While Hannibal had arranged for Will to have his own room, he insisted they had dinner together. It was already quite late, and Will was happy to let Hannibal order for him while he took a bath in the over-sized tub that could fit several more people. As he got out he stared at himself in the fogged up mirror. Long, unkempt hair, a few scars here and there, visible ribs and protruding collarbones. It wasn’t exactly a hundred-and-fifty-thousand sight. There was a gentle knock on the door, and Will froze, thinking Hannibal might walk in on him, but the door remained closed. Of course it would. Murderer or not, he was nothing if not a gentleman. “Will, dinner is here. Are you close to ready?”

“Yes!” he said, loudly and nervously. “I just have to get dressed.” He cursed under his breath. This was so unlike him, to be concerned about appearances or if anyone saw him naked. But there would be without question something sexual about it, and that was one thing he was not knowledgeable about. His father had brought him books by the dozens in heavy boxes. The only truly kind and fatherly thing Graham Senior had done for his son, and Will had read them all and remembered them all. But anything sexual that might have snuck in with the rest had been used as kindling for the fire. 

He put on underwear and a robe, as he would have to borrow clothes from Hannibal, having abandoned his hand-me-downs as soon as he could. He tied the fortunately large robe tightly around himself, making sure it showed as little as possible of his skin, before he walked out. Hannibal was already seated and apparently re-plating the food with two forks to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Nitpicky. “I ordered a few different dishes, as I am not sure what you prefer,” Hannibal said without taking his eyes off his work. 

The large table was practically a cornucopia of dinners, desserts and fruits, and in the center, a group of lit white candles melding wax onto a silver platter. “Thank you. I am starving.”

“I imagine. They don’t feed you much at these matchmakings, do they?” He pulled out a chair for Will, and he sat hesitantly, not used to chivalry. 

“They want us looking thin and attractive.”

Hannibal sat across from him, watching him intently while moving. Once again there was nothing in that stare that Will could decipher, other than that he seemed mighty pleased with himself. “I do not care much for this new trend. The more plump and full-figured omegas of the renaissance are more attractive in my eyes.”

“I can’t be much of a catch then.” 

His lips formed a humored, crooked smile on his face. “There is more to beauty.” He poured Will a glass of water, before pouring himself a glass of wine.

“Old enough to marry, but too young to drink.”

“I apologize. I assumed it would not be to your taste, considering your age.”

“It’s fine. I prefer Whiskey.”

Hannibal chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

The alpha started eating first, scrutinizing the chosen dish with each cut and chew. Will looked down at his choices, fish, meat or pasta, or at least so he thought. He hadn’t really had food like this before. Perhaps his mother cooked something like it back before he could remember, but his and his father’s cooking abilities were limited to turning on the microwave. He took a bite of the fish, the food he was most familiar with, but found it tasted too much. Not wanting to be rude, he kept eating, but was unsure if his displeasure would be visible or not. “May I ask you a few questions?” he asked as he chewed slowly, making sure to cover his mouth with a napkin. He had read it in a book on etiquette. The book was old and possibly outdated, but Hannibal appeared to appreciate the gesture. 

“Of course. What would you like to ask?”

Will swallowed and put down the napkin in front of him, where he toyed with it nervously. It was not a polite thing to do, but he needed something to busy his fingers. “I don’t know where to start. I don’t know much about you. How old are you? When’s your birthday? What’s your favorite color?” It was not the questions he would like to ask, but he would get there eventually, he figured. Start slow. 

“I am thirty-eight. My birthday is November 22, and my favorite color is red. I know your age and birthday already. Would you like me to know your favorite color?”

What an odd way of phrasing it. “It doesn’t really matter.”

“It could matter, if I were to buy you something.”

“Why would you buy me anything?”

“Why would I not give my omega any gifts? That is quite strange of you to think.” Will didn’t know how to answer. He knew it was normal. Had read about it several times. People giving gifts. Perhaps all the books Graham Senior brought counted as gifts, even if the books were free or stolen. “What’s your favorite color, Will?”

“Not sure. Green perhaps.”

“The fish is quite horrid, don’t you agree?” Will startled at the sudden change in topic, but nodded. “Too many conflicting flavors. I will cook you something better when we are home.”

“If there are any good spots to fish, I can catch something. I’m good at that, if nothing else.”

“I’m sure you will be good at many things, given time.” The words created a comfortably ominous atmosphere Will had yet to experience in his life. As if anything or anyone who dared disturb their comfortable sphere would surely perish. 

Will slept in his own room, for which he was ultimately happy, despite there being a moment when he thought he’d might rather sleep with Hannibal that night. But he needed to be alone. To think without his mind being clouded by alpha pheromones and unknown emotions and sensations in his body. Thinking, however, did not result in much sleeping, and Will found himself mainly twisting and turning as familiar nightmarish images flashed before his closed eyes in his near-awake state. Footsteps outside his door was enough to wake him. He sat up with a start, expecting someone to burst in, but it appeared whoever it was, fiddled with the lock across the hall. It took another few sleep dazed seconds for Will to remember that was Hannibal’s room. 

He quietly walked up to the door as if Hannibal could hear him and looked out the peephole. The alpha was struggling slightly with a stubborn lock, while carrying a cooler box in one hand. Will was quite curious about what he had been up to, but decided against asking. He was treading on dangerous land. Hannibal entered the room and closed the door quietly behind him. Surely no one but Will had even noticed his presence in the corridor. As the door did not open again, Will returned to bed, and fell into a restless sleep.


	2. The Meat

When he was much younger, Will had picked up a particularly bad romance novel titled Lost in the Omega’s Eyes. It had been hidden in the middle of a box filled to the brim with books on architecture, otherwise his father would not have allowed Will to read such filth. The novel, if one could even call it that, told the story of a young male omega, won at a matchmaking by a wealthy alpha that later had to win his affections. When his father had seen Will reading the book, he had taken it from him and thrown it in their lit fireplace. At the time, Will hadn’t minded. Poor writing aside, the plot didn’t interest him and he had better books to spend his time reading. As their car pulled up next to what was more of a mansion than a house, he wished he had been allowed to finish, what with the story now being more relevant than he first anticipated.

As Will exited the car watching his new home, utterly speechless due to the many thoughts he was trying to process, the driver took out Hannibal’s luggage and left. A quizzical Hannibal stood silently next to him, waiting for a reaction. “Neo Jacobean, right?” Will asked, not sure what else to say. 

A mild flicker of something, perhaps admiration, showed on the alpha’s face. “Yes,” he spoke proudly, as if a child had just mastered a particularly difficult word. “Are you interested in architecture?”

Will shrugged. He disliked being treated like an idiot, had thought Hannibal would not. “I’ve read about it,” he explained, doing his best to conceal the surly tone in his voice. Soft fingertips pushed against the back of his neck, rubbing to gentle him. Obstinate as Will was, he was not easy to gentle, and only allowed his body to untense long enough for Hannibal to believe his work was over and stop. 

“Let’s go inside,” Hannibal whispered softly, the hot breath on his ear made Will tense even more than he had to begin with.

As suspected, the home was as immaculate as the man who owned it. Everything in its place and without a speck of dust. Just the earth toned hallway contained items of more value than Will could comprehend. Hannibal took both of their coats and hung them away properly, took time to straighten them, before leading him upstairs. Little of the house was introduced to him before Hannibal opened the room at the top of the staircase and brought Will inside. The room was far simpler and easier to maintain than Will imagined the rest of the house, but still elegant with its monochrome colors and dark woods. Cluttering the otherwise pristine room was a small pile of plastic bags placed haphazardly at the foot of the bed. 

Hannibal picked them up and rearranged them into a tidier pile, for no reason Will could explain but for mild obsessive compulsions. “This is a guest room,” Hannibal explained. “You may sleep in here for the time being. At least until we bond.”

It did make Will feel more comfortable. He did not like the idea of sleeping restlessly next to the alpha. “I see. Thank you.” He did his best to show Hannibal his gratitude, but not the relief. Will approached the bags, that on closer inspection were full of clothes or boxes that Will would have to open to know what was. “Did you buy these?”

“No, I called my secretary and had her pick out some clothes for you, as well a phone, then had her leave it here.” He chose a small bag and handed it to Will. “I assumed you already did not have a cellphone.”

“You assumed correctly. I’ve never had a phone before.” A woman on the box held up a smartphone displaying green fields while smiling happily. “I don’t even know how these smart phones work. My dad had a flip phone.” Will put the box gently on the bed, not wanting to seem disrespectful or ungrateful for the gift. Hannibal was too concerned with the clothes his secretary had picked to notice the slight rejection. 

“I am sure you will figure it out,” he said absentmindedly. “Whatever you do not like, we will return. You may use the guest bathroom for now.” He gestured towards a second door in the room. “Before you move into the master bedroom. Are you hungry? Shall I make us lunch?”

“That sounds good.”

Hannibal smiled, causing his skin to wrinkle around his deceptively warm eyes, and put a gentle hand on Will’s cheek. “It will be nice finally filling this room.” 

“But I’m moving to your room soon,” Will said, confused and making Hannibal chuckle.

“I meant that when we have a child, we will turn this room into a nursery.” Will was too stunned to not accept the tender peck on his cheek and the affectionate caress of his wrist. “Settle in here, and I will show you the rest of the house after lunch.”

Perhaps he made a sign of agreement, as Hannibal left the room, but Will was not sure. Nothing about the alpha had suggested to Will that he wanted children. Everything that man enjoyed would be ruined by having a child around; disrupting the peace and cluttering his space. But of course Will as a mate made perfect sense now, even though Will had been unsure of why before. He was young and fertile with a rapidly approaching heat. Hannibal could have a child as soon as early next year. 

Will put his arms inside his sweater, and stretched it out, trying to picture himself full of a child, but shuddered at the thought. His father had kept him in that cabin most of his life, and thus Will had never actually met a child. Barely another adult. Certainly never an infant. There was no chance he could raise and take care of another human being. Dogs yes, but dogs were uncomplicated. Feeding them was enough to create an unbreakable bond and unwavering loyalty. A child would not be that easy. 

After putting on some of his new clothes, feeling uncomfortable in the ones he was given for the matchmaking, Will headed back downstairs, following the sound of pots and pans being used and smell of food to the kitchen. For a moment, he stood in the doorway, just watching the alpha move and found himself surprised by the focus and passion in Hannibal’s eyes as he cooked what was clearly an elaborate meal. 

“I realize I promised you fish,” Hannibal said, not looking towards Will. “But I only use fresh ingredients, and I did not have it available. We may have it for dinner if you would like that.”

“Whatever is less trouble for you,” Will said as he approached the alpha with slow steps. He couldn’t help but notice the cooler box put away neatly near the sink to be cleaned. “What are you cooking for lunch?”

“Teriyaki pork. Do you like teriyaki, Will?”

Will stood next to Hannibal and inspected the food cooking in front of him. It certainly smelled divine, but Will had never had anything like it before. “I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

The movement was discreet. Hannibal reached for a pan further behind on the stove, moving himself closer to Will, but did not move back. Their shoulders brushed against each other with each inhale of breath, and he could smell the cologne the alpha wore. A delightful scent, masculine and subtle all at once. There was less than two weeks until Will’s next heat. Hannibal clearly wanted Will more comfortable with intimacy before then, because Will still believed Hannibal was not the kind of man who would find it seemly to take an omega without their consent. He would much rather manipulate Will until the omega was begging to be taken, but Will surmised at least then he would be willing, manipulated or not. 

“Lunch will not be finished for another ten minutes. Would you like to walk around the house in the meantime?”

“May I?”

“We are married, Will. This is your house as well as mine.”

House he said, but the small mansion was more reminiscent of a museum. He avoided touching anything, and each room was opened along with a tightening of his stomach, unsure what to expect as he looked in through the next door. While all rooms contained interesting items, few held Will’s attention for long, until he entered the library. The room was hidden in the middle of the house, and while not large, the ceiling was high enough for tall shelves accommodating hundreds, if not thousands of books. A comfortable sofa was placed in the middle of the room, allowing more space for the books. Will had always dreamed of such a room for his books, as his had been kept in stacks and boxes, most of which his father had burned when they began to take over the house. 

It was clear Hannibal would never burn books. He treasured them, perhaps as much as Will did. Despite many being old and well-read, they were all in excellent condition. No creased edges or dog eared pages. A whole wall was dedicated to novels; classic novels Will had been dying to read, and he picked one at random, opening it with reverence before sitting down to read it. A few minutes later, he was too absorbed by Dickens to notice Hannibal entering the room. Barely had time to register his presence before a finger was placed on the book and it was pushed down away from his gaze.

“A Tale of Two Cities?” Hannibal questioned, and Will nodded. “Good choice. Lunch is ready. You may read after you eat.”

“Is it okay for me to read these books?”

“Of course. Books should be read. Not stored away to collect dust. Is there any book in particular you would like to read?”

“Too many.”

It was clear Hannibal approved; his smile was almost genuine. He kneeled in front of Will, though he still stood tall, and faced Will directly. The intimacy of the position caused Will to fidget where he sat, even more so when Hannibal placed his hand on Will’s knee. “Let’s start with the ones I have then, and move on from there. Any book you want, you may have. But for right now…”

“Lunch?” 

“Yes.” The hand moved further up on his thigh, and Will’s breath hitched. It was as if every nerve was on edge and tingling. Perhaps he was closer to his heat than he had first thought, but it was very regular, and though two weeks was a short time, it was too soon for him to feel slick begin to seep out his hole. Hannibal put both hands on each side of Will, and put his weight on them as he leaned forwards, his face suddenly only mere inches from Will. 

Automatically, Will’s lips parted, his body suddenly beyond his control. The tips of his toes felt ticklish as the distance between them shortened even more. He felt like he was looking down a steep cliff, and he wanted it to stop and continue all the same. He expected their lips to touch, but the alpha shifted slightly to his side and only placed a feather light kiss on the edge of his lips. “Come,” Hannibal whispered, and Will shivered. He took the hand offered to him and followed Hannibal to the dining room and the set table. 

The meat was delicious. 

~~~~~~

Those charcoal eyes stared up at the world from the page all wrong. An urge to cross out the sketch like a child throwing a tantrum overcame him, and he put the pencil down. Those eyes were getting to him, as they had that day of the matchmaking. It was by chance that he had gone there. Inspired by a comment from an insipid nosy alpha, suggesting he might find a mate there. Hannibal’s first matchmaking was at the age of eighteen, at which point he decided there was no rush, and he was better off waiting for someone more interesting. Even he had lost track of all the matchmakings he had been to since. Even though the omega was to tragically succumb to a terrible accident or illness soon after performing their duty and giving Hannibal a child, he couldn’t bring himself to marry just anyone. Certainly not someone from a poor man’s matchmaking in New Orleans. 

But then he had seen those eyes. Those beautiful blue irises with a tint of green and muddled with brown around the pupil, they had looked up at him with the glare of a lioness sizing up a fellow predator. Then he had spoken with a beautiful soft voice, articulate and unaccented. For the first time, Hannibal was interested, and at nearly forty years old, time was of the essence. And while it was only for a few years, he was enjoying the omega’s company for now. Actually, he thought, the way the omega barely made himself noticed in the house, he might as well keep him around longer. Have more than one child. Securing his family name and legacy further, in case one was not an alpha or have something happen to it. 

The omega barely made a sound unless Hannibal spoke to him. Most of his time was spent reading in Hannibal’s library, transfixed by the books to the point where Hannibal had to remind him to eat and sleep. No wonder the boy was so skinny and worn, though with Hannibal’s care he had already started to fill out, and the dark circles under his eyes were becoming less visible. 

Hannibal thought back to the night before, when he had practiced the harpsichord and the omega had sat in the sofa besides him, eyes closed but sitting upright, apparently in a completely different space than the one Hannibal was occupying. He was curious where that boy went when his eyes closed. That was a moment he was going to keep in his memory palace. He enjoyed being able to remember the moments he treasured with people no longer in his life. 

An abrupt, firm knock on his door interrupted Hannibal’s thoughts, and he got up from his desk to open the door. A heavy set black alpha wearing a blue suit stood waiting for him, his posture confident, but his eyes tired and smile politely forced. “My name is agent Jack Crawford, I’m with the FBI. I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but I could not reach a secretary.”

“That is fine,” Hannibal assured. “My secretary unfortunately left me just recently, and I have yet to find a replacement.” Hannibal had never quite trusted the young beta, and when he realized she had stolen from him while being trusted with his house keys to deliver the items for Will, he had been happy to rid himself of her. “What can I do for you?” Hannibal asked as he showed Crawford inside. 

“I am here about the murder of James Finnegan,” Crawford explained. The man sauntered about his office, gently placing a finger on items he found to be of interest to him. The act was less rude and more suspicious, as if he was looking for something in particular. Hannibal made a plan of how he could best end Crawford should it come to that. 

“I do not recognize that name. Is he someone I should know?” Hannibal asked and accepted the picture handed to him. 

“He was the beta in charge of Will Graham during the matchmaking in New Orleans. I understand that you were the one who married young Graham.”

“I recognize his face. I’m afraid he never introduced himself to me.” He handed the photograph back to Crawford. “Has something befallen Mr. Finnegan, or is he a suspect of something?”

“He was murdered the night after the matchmaking,” Crawford explained, sounding unbothered by the fact. “Due to the way he was murdered, we are investigating whether there is a possibility that the murderer is a serial killer that operates mainly in the Maryland and Virginia areas.”

The Chesapeake Ripper no doubt. Hannibal had removed a few organs and pieces to feed his omega, but the body was displayed in a far more subtle manner than he would usually in those circumstances. He would not draw unnecessary attention to himself. “I will assist the FBI as much as I can, but I believe there is not much more to say. We spoke briefly during the matchmaking, but I have no guesses as to why he was murdered, or by whom.”

“I understand. It was a longshot, but as you and your omega were the last people to see him alive, it is necessary to talk to you.”

“I understand. I assume you would like to speak with Will as well?”

“If you won’t mind. Is this him?” Crawford had moved to the other side of the desk in his exploration and investigation of his office, and found the unfinished sketch of the omega.

“Yes.”

“If he is only half as beautiful as on your drawing, you are a very lucky alpha.”

“Twice as beautiful.” The words escaped before he could give them much thought, but they were true. He had never seen an omega whose beauty enraptured him quite like Wills’. 

“Lucky then,” Crawford repeated. “Would you like to join me when I speak with him? I realize I sometimes appear threatening to omegas, though that is certainly not my intention. Having his alpha there might make him more comfortable.”

Hannibal doubted Will needed his alpha there, but would like to hear what the young omega had to say regardless. “Yes, I would like to join. A patient cancelled, so I have time now if you do.”

Crawford gestured towards the door; the expression on his face something Hannibal could only describe as daring. “Then we should go,” he said calmly. 

Hannibal put on his coat and watched Crawford out of the corner of his eye as the other alpha exited his office, taking note of what he paid attention to as he left. “I am surprised omegas are frightened of you. You are a large man, but you are mated, are you not?”

He hesitated before he answered, and a deep sorrow showed in his eyes. “Yes, but she recently passed away.” His previously forced smile turned more genuine as he spoke, but sad all the same. “Cancer,” he was quick to add.

It was as Hannibal expected. The smell of omega on him was faint, and the smell was sweet with fever and disease. That explained the sorrow. Losing a bonded mate was hard, at least for normal people. Hannibal had yet to bond with Will, but he couldn’t imagine himself reacting the same way as Crawford. “I am sorry to hear this,” he said and locked up. 

When they arrived at Hannibal’s house, Will was sitting curled up in the library as usual. Blankets and pillows kept disappearing from around the house and ended up there. Hannibal supposed he could understand why. The somewhat dark and small room was a sanctuary for an omega that felt unsafe, but Hannibal wished he would feel more comfortable outside of the room. “Will, I am home,” Hannibal said, and Will looked up. 

He looked confused at the two alphas before putting down his book. He gave Crawford a similar stare as the one he had given Hannibal the day they met at the matchmaking, but this time the lioness deemed the other predator unworthy of its attention. “What time is it? I’m usually able to finish at least one book before you get home.”

“It’s only just past noon. Agent Crawford is from the FBI. He wanted to speak with you.” Hannibal walked closer and sat with Will on the sofa, but his proximity seemed to have no effect on the omega, who was as unafraid yet tense as he had been when he saw them. 

“What did you want to speak with me about?” Will asked, his tone of voice both polite and dismissive. 

“I am here about James Finnegan.” Crawford spoke in the careful manner one tended to speak to omegas and children with, appearing as non-threatening as an alpha of his stature could. 

Will frowned as he thought, but leaned slightly closer to Hannibal. “I don’t know that name,” he said finally, and Crawford gave him the photograph. “I am bad with faces,” he said and handed it back. 

“He was the social worker in charge of you at the matchmaking,” Crawford explained.

“Oh,” Will said, sounding genuinely surprised. “There were so many social workers. They all sort of blurred together. What happened to this one?” 

Crawford bowed his head and put on a somber expression. “Unfortunately, he was murdered.”

“Oh.” Will let the vowel linger for a moment, but did not say anything else. 

A little thrown by the omegas reaction, it took a moment before Crawford continued. “Did you see anything suspicious at the matchmaking? Anything at all.”

“I did,” Will said bluntly, and Hannibal had to struggle to keep the surprise off his expression. Will had not mentioned anything happening that could count as suspicious that day. “He had a heated argument with someone. Another beta I think. I’m afraid it scared me a little and I tuned it out while hiding in the car, so I don’t know what it was about.”

It was clear that frustrated Crawford, but he did his best to not let it show, and continued speaking softly with a kind smile. “That’s alright. Most omegas in that situation would do the same. Do you remember when it happened?”

“It must have been just before one o’clock,” Will said, though he did not sound too sure. “It happened in the parking garage before we entered the conference center, and the matchmaking started at one.” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “I don’t think I would be able to identify him if I saw him.” 

“That’s just fine. You were scared. This is very helpful. Dr. Lecter.” Crawford tone turned stern as he addressed the other alpha. “You didn’t happen to be at the conference center at this time?”

“No. I was still at a medical conference on the other side of town. I did not reach the matchmaking before two-thirty.”

“I see. Was there anything else that you saw?” he asked Will gently. “Did the other beta drive a car? Do you at least have a general description?”

“Average height. Brown hair. White. Not sure about age. That’s all. I didn’t get a good look of his face. I think he drove away, but I did not see the car. It was further away.”

“That’s plenty. Thank you.” Crawford wrote down what he had been told, then put on a grateful smile. “You have been a great help. I will leave the both of you alone now.”

“We hope you catch the man who did this,” Hannibal said. “I will walk you out.”

It appeared that whatever Will had said had put Crawford off the scent of Hannibal, as he now could not care less about his surroundings. “Peculiar little omega you got there,” he said suddenly as they reached the front door. 

Hannibal handed Crawford his coat and nodded. “Beautiful and peculiar.”

“If we find out something your omega might have to be contacted, but if they determine it’s unrelated to the serial killings, it will be through the New Orleans police department.” 

“I understand. Take care, agent Crawford.” Crawford tipped his hat as he walked out, and Hannibal locked the door after him. He still had some time, he could make a quick lunch for his omega. There was no way he would eat while he was not there. That much was clear from all the lunches left in the refrigerator. 

“I don’t like it when people talk to me like that.”

Hannibal turned to look at Will, who was standing behind him, expressionless. “Like what?”

“Like I am a small child that needs to be sheltered,” he explained. His beautiful soft lips parted slightly as in his annoyance, his breath grew heavier. 

“Omegas become frightened at the idea of murder.”

“No.” 

“Most do.” Will cocked his eyebrow, both daring and questioning the alpha. “I still do not have to go back to work for a while. Let’s have lunch together.”

Silence filled the room as the omega considered whether or not to drop the subject. “Need help?” he asked finally. 

“You may chop vegetables if you don’t mind.”

Will smiled awkwardly, as he always did on the rare moments he smiled, before he walked to the kitchen, not waiting for Hannibal. Hannibal entered the kitchen less than a minute after the omega, but he had already found a chopping board and knife, and was waiting, leaning against the counter. “What vegetables should I chop?” he asked, his manner unusually sweet. 

“Onions, to start.”

Will nodded and grabbed an onion from the basket of vegetables left out. The alpha kept his eye on him as Hannibal got out the rest of the ingredients from the fridge, watched the way the omega chopped with such focus. It was a task he was unused to. He truly was beautiful.

“Hannibal,” he said carefully, without looking his way. “What was in that cooler box you brought from New Orleans?”

The omega never looked up as he waited for the answer. It was only a split second, but the delayed response should already prove something was off about the answer he would give him. “A butcher near the hotel had some exceptionally good cuts of meat. I decided to buy some and bring them with me.”

“Oh.” 

That oh again. Will was far more intelligent than he let on, and he could pretend the question was innocent all he wanted, but he knew something. Perhaps he had seen him with the cooler box that night, had somehow put two and two together. Fortunately, Hannibal had yet to make any announcements about his marriage. Will could be gone quickly. They were not yet mated, he could still run away. It was not unheard of for omegas to run off to some alpha they had met before but was too poor to buy them, and Hannibal would be left heartbroken. 

The first step towards Will was hesitant, but he regained his confidence momentarily, unsure why he would even waver. He pressed his hand down on Wills’, the one he used to hold the knife, and felt it push against the handle through the bones. “Hannibal?” Will questioned, and looked up at him with those eyes. Those damn eyes. The eyes of an omega unbothered by the idea of murder, and whom Hannibal realized had lied to distract the FBI from him. 

The omegas eyes fluttered as he moved closer to him, and he shivered as Hannibal’s hand moved from the knife to his waist. He was tempted to run his hand up his shirt, to touch that warm skin directly, but young Will was far too innocent. But he smelled sweeter each day as his heat approached, making him practically hexing. For the first time, he pressed his lips against his, and Will nearly fell limp in his arms. It was intoxicating to render the young boy so helpless and omegan, when he most of the time was anything but. 

But he didn’t expect his own heart beat to increase in speed or face to flush, and he was not about to lie to himself. Something he thought would never happen had happened. He was falling in love, with the most dangerous omega he could fall for. “May I ask you something now?” Hannibal whispered against Will’s lips, and felt the nod rather than see it. “When you close your eyes, where do you go?” 

“My memory palace.” 

His chest felt pleasantly warm while knives stabbed at his stomach at the thought of something befalling his omega. “You know of the method of loci?” 

“Yes. I read a lot of strange books growing up.” He looked a little bashful at the admission, or just flushed still from the kiss. 

“I also have a memory palace,” Hannibal confessed. “Perhaps in the future ours will share some rooms.”

“My palace does not have rooms.” He smiled as his eyes grew distant with fondness of something far away. “It’s a stream full of fish on a hot day, with my dogs playing around me and birds singing. Nobody else exist.”

Hannibal ran a hand through Will’s hair, pulling up the bangs to allow him to kiss his forehead. “Do you miss your dogs?” 

Will leaned against him and nodded. “They took them all from me. I miss them so much. I don’t even know what happened to them.” He took a deep breath, close to a whimper. “They were well trained, so I tell myself that they will find good homes.”

If Hannibal ever came across any of those social workers, they would surely find themselves on his table. “I hope that soon, even if nobody else exist in your memory palace, that I will.”

“You might,” he whispered and Hannibal held on tighter. This was dangerous. He had made a grave mistake picking him, and he knew he ought to kill Will. But it was too late. He couldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out a bit late because I'm not super happy with the writing, but I'm too word blind right now to properly edit it, so I will get back to that. Constructive criticism is welcome. Have at it.


	3. The Heat

They could both feel it coming. Will’s heat. Will felt warmer and more accepting of Hannibal’s touches each passing day, if not hour. Hannibal would frequently stop to sniff the air around him, making Will incredibly self-conscious, but apparently the scent was divine like ripe fruit. Slow harpsichord music played quietly in the dimly lit dining-room, giving Will something to focus on while they ate dinner together besides the need to be as close to the alpha as possible. Hannibal sat opposite him, delicately slicing the meat with expensive silverware before bringing it to his lips where he savored each bite. Delicious as it was, Will could not bring himself to enjoy the food as much as him. 

“Is something on your mind, dear?” Hannibal asked. The dear did more for Will than it should. He had forgotten what it was like to be around an unrelated alpha when in heat. It had only happened once before, and that time had ended badly. This situation was different, however. This was his soon to be bonded mate and Will’s face heated up thinking about it.

Will forced himself to look into the alpha’s eyes, wanting to know how he truly felt about what he was going to say. But when he did a force inside him made him want to leap across the table and into the alpha’s embrace. “I want to discuss my upcoming heat,” Will said, his voice quivering and pitchy. 

“Of course. I have been waiting for the right time to breach that subject myself.” He took a short sip of his wine before he clasped his hands in front of him, meeting Will’s eyes directly and unwavering. “I realize you are young and unused to the affections of an alpha. If you would like, we may postpone the bonding until your next heat.”

He hadn’t expected that answer, and had to compose himself all over again. “It’s not so much the bonding I worry about. I feel ready to bond with you.” Whether that was him or the heat speaking was hard to say, but he meant it in that moment. “I’m worried about being pregnant. I’m only nineteen. It’s very soon.”

This made the alpha pause. His face was still as he took in the information, and Will struggled to keep eye contact when he’d rather look anywhere else. “I understand,” Hannibal said softly. “We may use contraception.” After speaking, he lowered his gaze to his food and continued eating. Will had barely touched the food on his plate, having very little appetite normally, and it had only decreased with the addition of knots and butterflies in his stomach. 

“May I be excused?” Will asked. 

“When you finish your food,” he said without looking up. “You will need the energy.”

Will forced himself to continue, but only from the first bite he felt too full to swallow and had to force it down. The butterflies were painfully burrowing through the knots in his organs, leaving no room for nutrients. He gathered meat and vegetables on his fork for a second bite, but left it hovering in front of him, waiting for the will to eat it. There was also that book in Hannibal’s library he had found that he was dying to finish. It was an anatomy book focusing on the heat cycles of omegas, which had been educational to say the least. His own father had taught him nothing, and there was only so much the novels that had slipped past his inspection could teach him. 

“You may be excused,” Hannibal said suddenly, and Will looked at his alpha’s suddenly empty plate, then at the cold food on the fork in front of him. “Were you in your memory palace?” 

“I was thinking about a book I wanted to continue reading in your library.” Hannibal smiled faintly as he heard this, and signed for Will to get going as he collected their plates. “It was delicious,” Will said apologetically before walking away. 

~~~

The omega had a point. Nineteen was awfully young to be with child. They could wait until he was twenty at least. A year or two made little difference to Hannibal. However, Will’s heat would strike fast. The next morning by the latest. And he could not find any form of contraceptives in his home. He threw the nightstand drawer shut, sick of looking, as he knew he had a pack of condoms somewhere from the time he had dated that beta. It had been one of his longer relationships, lasting over a year, and at the moment he could barely remember their name or secondary gender. His head was just full of Will and his scent and how pretty he looked when he was all lost in his own world. He hadn’t even noticed Hannibal’s blatant staring after their conversation at dinner. The next drawer he threw shut broke, and he fumbled in the air for somewhere to sit, and found the chair next to his dresser. 

It was not even the first omega in heat he had slept with. When he was younger, a beautiful and seductive older omega, a friend of his aunt Murasaki, had invited him to her bed during her heat. It had been incredible and mind numbing, but he had yet to experience anything like this. He was losing his mind, losing track of time and place with each inhale of Will’s scent. He had to leave the house. Had to buy condoms. Get to his senses. 

He straightened his shirt and put on a jacket before walking downstairs; deciding against letting Will know he was leaving. He couldn’t get any closer than he already was, and the omega would be too preoccupied with whatever book he was currently reading to notice Hannibal had left. Out on the porch, he took a deep breath as if to rid his system of Will, just for a moment. He felt for his wallet and was glad to find it in his pocket, because he could not go back in there without ravaging the young boy. Calmer, he entered his car and searched for a night open pharmacy on his GPS. Once it had found one, he drove off. 

The fluorescent lit pharmacy with a crowd of unseemly characters felt like a different world than the one he was used to, but he had no time to pay them any mind. He found what he needed and headed for the counter. He felt no embarrassment from picking up a pack of condoms. He was a doctor after all. Yet he was pleased to find the girl behind the counter polite and indifferent as she accepted his payment and bagged his purchase. The mildly intoxicated man suddenly behind him in line was not. “Go get ‘em,” the man sniffled, and leaned forward to scent Hannibal, no doubt scenting Will’s heat. The girl behind the counter tried her hardest to not look repulsed by the man, and he appreciated her politeness. 

Hannibal was given his change and stepped to the side to allow the man up to the register, where he proceeded with his rude comments. After checking for security cameras, none which were pointed at them, he discreetly snatched the man’s wallet and left. He was short on meat for the upcoming dinner party he was hosting to introduce his mate, and this man would do. He did not pause to hear the drunk man’s apologies to the cashier for having lost his wallet, as he had far more urgent matters to attend to at home.

However, when he finally returned and parked in his driveway, he was barely able to leave his car. His body shook with anticipation of what was to come. The most beautiful omega he had ever encountered was just inside those doors, probably panting and writhing in heat as beads of sweat trickled down his body. Without having barely registered that he had moved, he suddenly found himself inside, holding on to the front door as if someone was trying to break in behind him. 

Lapses of memory was not uncommon for neither alpha nor omega during heat and rut, but Hannibal had never experienced such a thing himself. He always had more control than that, was able to distance himself. Now that he was inside, though, he was becoming high on the scent of Will, and let go of the door handle with great difficulty before he walked towards the source. 

Will was curled up in the library, sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa, clothes in disarray after attempts at taking them off. Will turned his head towards Hannibal, his eyes pleading and mouth open, but unable to speak. Hannibal pounced, like a predator, and pushed Will up on the couch again and spun him onto his stomach to pull down his pants. The omega whimpered in surprise, but reached out behind him to pull Hannibal closer. In a blurry haste, he undressed the burning omega completely, and barely managed to undress himself before the need to push himself into the man in front of him was too strong. 

It was tight as he first entered him, the slick making it easier, but as the omega was unused to the act, his muscles protested against the intrusion. Hannibal inhaled, trying to bring himself back into lucidity, and whispered into Will’s ear. “If you relax, it will be much more comfortable.”

The omega only nodded in response, and let himself fall limp in the alpha’s embrace, and loosening enough to push in further and faster. Will made few sounds as Hannibal pounded into him, frustrating him as he had no way of knowing if his mate was responding to his touches or not. If the omega did not orgasm, not enough of his sperm would be massaged out of his knot by the spasms. Though in his current state all he could think was that he had to please Will. 

He reached underneath the omega and grabbed the smaller omegan penis he in a different state of mind would have wanted to admire the sight of for hours, and started pumping it. The omega still made very little sound, but his breath hitched and grew heavier. Hannibal gently cupped Will’s face and made him face him. He was flushed and beautiful, with eyes unusually present and staring directly into his. “Hannibal?” he asked, out of breath and confused. 

Hannibal had no idea how to respond, and instead pushed the omega’s face down into the cushion and pounded harder, hand still holding the other’s sex tightly. Will whimpered at the rough treatment, but his skin flushed all the more. As he had pushed him down, Will’s hair fell to the sides of his neck, revealing the soft, pale skin of his nape, inviting him to bite down.

As his sharp canines punctured the flesh, Will moaned with the mix of pleasure and pain, and as the sweet metallic taste hit his tongue, Hannibal’s knot swelled and he came inside his beautiful mate. At the sensation of Hannibal’s seed hitting his walls, Will orgasmed as well, and tightened around the knot. Once the spasms had died down in both of them, Hannibal realized Will was crying softly, and wrapped his arms and legs around him as he lay on top of the omega, and ran his fingers down his wet cheeks. 

“I’m scared,” Will whispered. “I feel too much.”

“It’s alright. Allow yourself to feel, Will.” Hannibal nuzzled against the omega’s hair and licked lightly at the bite, and decided against saying anything about forgetting all about the contraception for now. 

~~~

Sitting in the library, freshly showered and in clothes he had never worn before, Will tried to read but had to put the book down. It was rare for him to be unable to concentrate on a book. During his heat, he had barely been able to know where and when he was, but the last remnants of the heat had left his system that morning. His lack of focus was due to other things this time. There was a knock on the library door, and Will put the book down, having only finished one page since the last time the alpha had visited him. “Dinner is ready,” he said. 

“I’m not hungry.”

“You have to eat, Will,” he said sternly, and gently grabbed Will’s wrist. He was pulled up out of the couch with ease, weak as he was after the last few days. “I already allowed you to skip lunch, and you need the energy.”

Will put a hand on Hannibal’s chest for support, and took a deep breath of encouragement before he looked up at the alpha staring down at him. “For the baby?” Will said, his tone angrier than intended. 

In fact he was starving. He would even gladly eat his father’s canned food, which tasted like polluted water with indistinguishable pieces of meat. However, nothing would hurt the alpha more than Will not accepting his food, as he had seen from when he had declined due to his normal lack of appetite. 

Hannibal did in fact look incredibly hurt, almost genuinely so, skillfully conveying the emotion through moist eyes. “We don’t know that you are pregnant,” Hannibal said. 

“But it’s likely, considering my age,” Will said in his normal tone, but the rest he had to force out through gritted teeth. “And all the doctors praised me for how fertile I was.” He looked up at Hannibal and sighed. “It’s why you married me. You should be happy.”

The alpha trailed light fingers up and down Will’s cheek, barely touching the skin. “Your happiness is of equal importance, and while I married to have children, I married you specifically because I knew I would enjoy your company.”

Subconsciously, he rested his head in Hannibal’s cupped hand, seeking the warmth of his mate’s skin. “I’m not much company,” Will whispered. “We hardly ever talk.”

“I spend too much of my day talking and listening. Coming home to finding you with your nose in a book, watching you eat the food I cooked or you listen to me practice the harpsichord, it all makes me happy.” It wasn’t lost on Will that Hannibal looked, if such an emotion was possible for the alpha, uncertain. “And when you do talk, it’s interesting.”

From everything Will had read about heats and bonding in Hannibal’s anatomy books, it was perfectly normal to be unable to make proper judgements, and thus Will felt he ought to forgive the alpha. Not this day though. “I am very exhausted. Mind if I go to bed?” Will had a stack of books to read upstairs as well, for when he woke up in the middle of the night and needed something to calm him enough to fall back asleep. He could read one of them until he actually did feel tired. 

There was a long pause before Hannibal responded. “Fine. Go.”

Will didn’t hesitate to leave and went upstairs to his room, having had enough of being social for a long time, but stopped dead in his tracks as he opened the door. The room had been stripped clean. The bed didn’t even have sheets on anymore. He jumped as Hannibal put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him away. “I moved your things into my room.”

“Why?”

His expression remained indifferent as he ran his hand over the bite mark on Will’s neck. “We are bonded, Will,” he said. “It would be unseemly if we did not share a bed.”

Will had never shared a bed. Not even with his father, and even the few times they had shared a room together, his father had usually kicked him out because of all the night terrors Will experienced, keeping them both up. “I don’t think you want to share a bed with me. I will wake you.”

“I never needed much sleep.” 

“But-”

Hannibal stopped him with a gentle finger to his lips, and with his other hand opened the door to his bedroom. Will’s bedroom as well, but everything in there belonged to the alpha, just like the rest of the house. Will had enjoyed the library because of the books taking up all space over Hannibal’s overbearing taste, and the guestroom because of the neutral non-Hannibal decor and the clutter Will had accumulated making it his own. There would be no clutter in this room. 

“You wanted to sleep?”

Will nodded and took a tentative step inside. The bed was large and dark, set to view the fireplace, and the walls and desk had all kinds of strange nick knacks that were most likely worth more than he had paid for Will. He felt swallowed in the room, unable to get out. “Which side of the bed is yours?” Will asked as he sat. 

“The right side.”

“Okay.” He walked around the bed to sit down, feeling unsteady and dizzy. “Where are my things?”

“In the walk-in closet. I will have dinner on my own, then, unless you have changed your mind and would like to keep me company?” he said expectantly, but this act made Will want to forgive him even less. 

“I’m fine.” There wasn’t much else to say. Hannibal stayed for a short moment, waiting for Will to say something, hoping he would change his mind still, then left. Yet Hannibal remained despite his body leaving for another part of the house entirely. 

It wasn’t too difficult to find his things, hung properly in the closet, with the books organized into a clean pile below them. Will had his own systems and compulsions, and disliked Hannibal’s arrangement by occasion rather than color. He took down the t-shirts and folded them to place neatly on the shelves, before reorganizing his few shirts and blazers, all of which had been bought by Hannibal and had yet to be worn. It then suddenly dawned on him that he had been there for a month and hadn’t left the house once. Not even into the little garden behind the house just to see the sky and breathe fresh air. Was he even allowed to leave? 

Several hours later, he was still awake, lying on the bed. No matter how many books he read, he could not sleep. The unfamiliar bed and the hunger tearing at his stomach both kept him up, as well as the fear of waking up screaming and drenched in sweat next to his mate. The door opened quietly, and an almost completely silent Hannibal sat next to him on the bed. “I thought you would be asleep,” he said. 

“Not used to the bed,” Will explained. 

“And hungry?” 

Will sighed and turned on his side to face him, not hiding his vexed expression in the slightest. “Yes.” Hannibal presented him with a filled baguette wrapped in thick paper cloth, before leaving to get ready in the bathroom. “Thank you,” Will said after him as he began to nibble at it, which soon turned into large bites as the alpha could no longer see him. 

“Don’t get used to eating in bed,” Hannibal said from the bathroom, voice only raised enough to be heard. “I do not enjoy crumbs.” Will brushed away the few traces of food off the covers, and carefully wrapped up the cloth to prevent spilling. 

As Hannibal stepped back into the room, Will immediately looked away as the bare-chested alpha walked up to the bed and laid down next to him. He found a book on the floor and opened it randomly to distract himself. It helped little when the alpha put his hand on Will’s knee through the covers, and moved his hands upwards. “If you cannot sleep, mind keeping me company?” 

“I’m already here,” Will said, uncertain of what he was getting into as Hannibal pressed soft kisses against his hand, then cheek, before moving to his lips. Hannibal lifted him closer, pressing him against his body, and began to slowly remove Will’s boxers. It was as if he wanted to mate again, but Will was no longer in heat. 

Hannibal moved on top of him, removing his pajama bottoms as he did, and Will felt his erect sex press up against him between his spread legs. Will was too shocked to move, while Hannibal couldn’t stay still long enough for Will to get his bearings. His hand moved all over his body, gently caressing his nipples and trailing down along his sides to his back towards his hole. Scared to the point of being immovable, Will did not particularly enjoy the touches, but did not ask him to stop. He wondered why. He was fairly certain Hannibal would if he asked him to. Even when Hannibal whispered into his ear, hot breath hitting the outer shell, asking him if it was alright for him to continue, Will only nodded.

Perhaps it was curiosity. It was something he had until that moment thought was impossible, but as the alpha penetrated him, it was clear to him it was fully possible. Will winced slightly at the sensation. It did not slide in as easily as during his heat, but Hannibal stopped for a second to retrieve a bottle from his nightstand, poured the clear liquid in his hand and coated his penis with it. This time it slid back in easily and without discomfort. 

While the alpha moved in and out inside of him, Will occasionally felt shots of pleasure, but the tenseness of his body and mind countered it. He tried to look elsewhere, anywhere but Hannibal’s face. Whatever the omega was supposed to do during sex, Will was sure it wasn’t laying limply with his arms down along his sides, and he didn’t want to see the alpha’s disappointment. He was happy when Hannibal put his head down to kiss his neck, trailing light pecks up and down, nibbling at the bite mark while his hands rubbed Will’s only half hard penis.

As Hannibal did his best to pleasure him, he was sure, Will stared at the clock on the nightstand. It took sixteen minutes and forty-three seconds before Hannibal came. There was no inflated knot this time, which he had learned was a response to the heat hormones, making the alpha rut. Without the hormones, very little sperm was released and as Will’s uterus was no longer supposed to be receptive, anything was unlikely to come from this. 

Will thought it was finally done as the alpha slipped out of him and lay down next to him, and tried not to focus on the sticky substance inside him, but Hannibal kept caressing him and stroking his hair. Then long fingers were replaced by the penis, and they soon found that spot that he had hit frequently before, but was now stimulated without break. Almost against his will, Will came, spilling seed and slick with a silent breath. 

“You’re very quiet while making love,” Hannibal whispered while nuzzled in Will’s hair. “I thought about it during your heat as well. Are you not enjoying it?”

Will wasn’t quite sure how to answer, as the orgasm should suggest that he did. Hazy as the memory of the heat had been, he had certainly enjoyed it then. “I’m just not used to it,” Will explained, slightly out of breath from the orgasm. “And I don’t think I’m doing it right.”

“You should do what feels natural.”

“Oh. Then I was doing it right.” Hannibal chuckled and smiled against Will’s cheek. 

Once cleaned up, Hannibal slept soundly, but Will barely had his eyes closed at any point during the night. The few times he did doze off, he woke up again with a start only a few minutes later. It was going to be a long time before he slept again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, over a month... I seem to be not accepting that time actually happens. Here it is though, at last... Next chapter will be a bit short as it was supposed to be part of this chapter, but then I didn't feel that it fit, but at least it's done, so it shouldn't be as long as over a month until next time. Though never say never.


	4. The Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What... what is this? Oh, I know. I just haven't seen it in so long. It's an update!

It was raining heavily on the windshield, wipers working hard to keep the road visible. Luckily it was late and the streets empty of both people and vehicles, and Hannibal allowed himself to let his thoughts wander. A few days after bonding, Hannibal had finally announced their union with his friends, colleagues and important acquaintances, and was planning a grand dinner party to celebrate. He was going to get some of the meat now. However, Will was currently not much to introduce to anyone. If possible, the omega had become even more introverted. Even when Hannibal forced his company upon him, Will spent most of that time in his mind palace. When Will had been angry and defied him on purpose, Hannibal had been annoyed, though rarely, as his angry defiant eyes were too beautiful and radiant to look away from, but at least then he’d had ideas on how to react. This time Will was simply sad and scared, the idea of pregnancy heavy on his mind. 

Contraceptive pills was filth he had previously had no plans on giving his omega, but if in a few weeks they found out Will was not with child, he would give them to him. He had believed himself to have the self-control needed to use condoms, but they were unreliable for alpha and omega pairs for a reason. A few years would do no harm to his fertility. 

He parked the car some distance away from the apartment complex and walked the couple of blocks to get there, despite the rain. The building was as good as crumbling before him, dirty and dilapidated. Before cooking him, he would have to test this man for any diseases. Hannibal was secluded by darkness and the raised collar of his coat as he walked through the flimsy entrance doors that weren’t even locked. This would not be a ripper killing. Not with that Jack Crawford snooping around just recently, nor was he inspired. 

Ever since bringing that damn omega home, all he could think of was him and his eyes and his scent and it was distracting and infuriating. What kind of omega didn’t want children anyway? That was no reason for him to be sulking and depressed to the point where he felt embarrassed showing him off at their party, when he should be feeling anything but. He had the most beautiful and intelligent omega amongst anyone he knew, and all the omega did was sulk in his library.

He knocked gently on the door. None of the neighbors would pay them any mind. That much was clear. The man from the line at the pharmacy opened, still slightly drunk and very confused about his visitor. Hannibal asked politely to come in, and was allowed. Once the door was closed behind them, he maneuvered himself behind the man and strangled him with a coarse rope, crushing his trachea to make the process faster. 

The man collapsed and Hannibal stopped to evaluate what to take. Clearly, the man did not take care of himself, and the organs would be far too tainted for his liking. He settled for the thigh, meat he could grind and cook thoroughly, perhaps as a sausage. He scanned the apartment, looking for somewhere to perform the act. The bathroom, where there would hopefully be a bathtub or shower he could use to clean up around him, was the only option. It was the least sanitary apartment he had ever been in, and it reeked of alcohol, cigarettes, sweat and dog. 

The last scent had him stopping in his track. Yes, there certainly was a distinct smell of dog in the room, a smell strong enough and spread wide enough to suggest the dog hadn’t only been there for a visit, but he could not hear or see it. After making sure his victim was too close to death to move, he stepped away to search for the creature. In a corner between the TV and the wall was cage containing a scared, brown mutt with spots on his face. The dog had hardly been cared for, that much was obvious by its skinny frame and matted fur. Even the cage was used as a makeshift table; placed on it was an ashtray and several tipped bottles of beer. 

Will would have loved the dog. A child he wouldn’t want to think about, but for the dog he would put in all his time and energy. He returned to the man and brought him into the bathroom, and after cleaning out the tub with bleach, he put the man in. Hannibal put on the plastic suit that protected his clothes before starting the job of sawing off his leg. He botched the job on purpose. There was not going to be a way for them to trace this to the ripper. 

After storing the thigh away in two cooler boxes, he stood in front of the dog, thinking. He had always cared for animals. They were far better company than most humans. However, having one in his own home had never occurred to him. He had in his childhood, but back then they had had servants that took care of all the cleanup. He couldn’t have regular servants running around his home, a heavily supervised cleanup crew after a dinner party at most. Though he was certain Will would be willing to tidy after it if it meant being able to keep it. 

~~~~

The scared and malnourished dog had to be carried inside, it was too weak and paralyzed by fear to move. Hannibal put it in the downstairs bathroom, and as there was no appropriate soaps to use, had to settle for lukewarm water and an old forgotten brush to clean the poor mutt. Once he had towel dried it, he left it there with a bowl of water. He’d feed it properly in the morning. He was too tired at the moment, and considering the poor condition the dog was in, it ought to be supervised when consuming food. He’d either choke scarfing it all down or not eat at all. Hannibal turned on the floor heating as he left, and watched from the doorway as the dog curled up on some old towels he had put down.

After putting away the meat for the party, he quietly snuck up the stairs, hoping not to wake his dear Will. He opened the door to the bedroom and watched the omega through the line of light from the hallway, sleeping fitfully, sweating and turning, smelling beautifully of fear, but the unnatural paleness of his skin didn’t suit him. As the door closed, he shot up, seated upright on the bed staring straight ahead rather than towards the source of the sound. “What time is it?” he asked, out of breath and disoriented. 

“Three-thirty. I apologize for waking you. I was trying to be quiet. But you were having a nightmare.” As Will shot him a glare, Hannibal turned away to undress. He heard Will lay back down, but was still wide awake when he sat down on the bed next to him. He would have loved to make love to the omega again, but he was clearly not in the mood, nor was it really the time as Hannibal would like to get an early start to the day.

“Why do you smell like dog?” Will asked, all curious and hopeful, all the resentment in his voice since the heat gone. 

Hannibal laid down under the sheets, chuckling. “I felt bad and got you a present. Check the downstairs bathroom.” Will was out of the door before Hannibal had finished the sentence. He had planned to sleep, dead-tired as he was, but found himself too curious to rest and wrapped a robe around his body and hurried barefoot downstairs. 

Will had moved the dog to the kitchen and was gently feeding it small pieces of leftovers while gently scratching it behind its ear. “What do you think about Winston?” Will asked. “Or does he already have a name?”

“Not that I know of,” Hannibal said, and couldn’t help the smile creeping up on his face. “Winston is a good name. I am glad you are fond of him. We need to take him to a vet tomorrow.”

“I know,” Will said, his voice full of affection as he pet Winston. “Poor thing. Why would anyone treat you this way?” 

It worried Hannibal slightly that there was no questions about where the dog came from. Bringing home a dog in the middle of the night was suspicious to say the least, but Will did not care. He simply cooed at the animal that took to the boy immediately. The next day Hannibal would feed the dog the cuts of his previous owner he would not cook. Having the animal was actually quite beneficial in that way. Less food waste. 

~~~ 

The dog stayed closed to Will as they walked along the forest path. The omega kept his hand down as reassurance that he was paying attention to the dog, despite his eyes darting back and forth as if he had never seen a tree before. He smiled brightly and laughed at the sight of a jumping squirrel and Winston making a small startled bark as he saw it. Surprisingly, Winston had been given a clean bill of health, only malnourished and bruised from a few beatings, and looked better already only twelve hours after his rescue. 

Will found a stream of water and settled next to it, suggesting to Hannibal they eat there. It was as good of a spot as any. Hannibal laid out the blanket and food while Will and Winston spotted fish in the water, and Will spoke fondly of his times fishing back in the south, and that he had always wanted to go fishing up in the north, and perhaps they could take a trip to Canada one day. His fears of pregnancy seemed forgotten. 

“Sit with me,” Hannibal said, and Will looked happy to do just that. He ran to him and sat down close to his alpha, and grabbed his arm to steal warmth. “Are you cold?” he asked.

“A little. I underestimated the weather,” he said, grinning as he had to blow heat onto his pale fingers. “Perhaps you could buy me more proper winter clothing. It’s only October and it’s already this cold.”

“It was certainly warmer in Louisiana, if nothing else.”

Will chuckled. “I don’t necessarily miss it. As long as I have a stream, I can be anywhere.” Winston settled in a sunny spot, exhausted from the exercise and enjoying the soft grass, and Will kept a watchful eye on him until he was still and sleeping. 

“On the way home we should stop by an outdoor sports store,” Hannibal said, gaining Will’s attention. How he had longed for those blue eyes. “I’ll buy you everything you need. We can go out here on the weekends. You fish and I will sketch or paint, and then we eat what you catch when we come home.”

Those blue eyes darted up and down as if assessing a possible threat. An interesting reaction. “Really?” he asked, his tone skeptical. 

“Are you unconvinced that I mean it?”

“My dad used to say my alpha would want me to stop fishing,” he answered, no emotion showing on his guarded expression. “It wasn’t for omegas. He only allowed it because he was kind.”

“You said you didn’t miss your father. That would suggest he wasn’t always that kind.”

“He drank a lot,” Will explained, still guarded and unemotional. “Never hit me, but shouted a lot. For a long time I thought that was all alphas did. Make their omegas cook and clean. You never make me do anything I don’t want to.”

Something hurt a little inside him. It took him a moment to realize what it could be. Guilt. “I make you have sex with me. I can tell you don’t enjoy it.”

Will fidgeted, looked away, at anything but Hannibal, and Hannibal thought he might be embarrassed, which was once again not what he was prepared for. “It was just unexpected. I never imagined you would want to do that outside of my heat. I don’t see the point.” He shrugged, and struggled to turn back to Hannibal. 

“It’s a clearly poor attempt at showing you physically how much I care about you, and how beautiful I think you are. I want to give you pleasure so strong you lose all ability to think. But you need time. I understand that.”

“It’s… okay…” He spoke softly as his fingers trailed up and down Hannibal’s forearm. “I’ll remember that next time we have sex.” Will looked around, though Hannibal couldn’t fathom what he was looking for. It was only water and forest for miles. “Is-is it possible to do it here?” 

“What? Sex?”

“It isn’t, right? It’s just that now I sort of… maybe felt like it. I'm not sure. But we can do it tonight when we are in bed-” Will let out a slight surprised squeal as Hannibal pushed him down into a kiss, but soon softened in his embrace.

“Whenever wherever you want,” Hannibal whispered as his hands moved downwards on the boy’s body and lowered the loose jeans Hannibal hoped Will would soon grow into. 

This time was completely different from his previous attempt at pleasing his omega. While still hesitant, he was not stiff and unmoving. He put tentative hands on Hannibal’s back and shoulders as the alpha penetrated the boy and giggled sweetly as Hannibal’s afternoon stubble tickled his neck as he scented him. The ground was hard and uneven, and their clothes in the way as only the bare minimum was undressed in the cold weather, but when Will finally relaxed enough to let out a soft whimper of pleasure, it still became the best sex Hannibal had ever had. 

How this cunning little omega had captured his heart so, he would never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't judge too harshly please! My master thesis has taken up more time than I thought it would. For those of you waiting for a new chapter on The Baby, it's coming. I promise!


	5. The Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally! An update! As I explained in my recent update of "The Baby", I've been losing a bit of passion for Hannibal and Hannigram. I still love the show and the ship! Don't get me wrong. But I've lost that obsession that inspire me to write, and what with uni and dissertations taking up all of last year, it was difficult to get much done as I wanted to write stuff I was passionate about in what little time I had to do so. However, all of that is finished, so I'm doing my best to finish up these two Hannigram fics. This story has been fully planned, so it's just about me writing it all down, so it won't be affected in the same way as "the Baby" has been.

Will desperately tried to enter his mind palace, frantically grasping for the sparkling ripples of the lake and soft touch of fur under his coarse hands. But every time he got close, something pulled him out of it. Usually an impeccably dressed man or woman with too much cologne or perfume, making Will feel ill. Say hi, smile, nod, let Hannibal talk. His sense of smell had grown too strong lately. To better help sense and escape predators, way back in the day, now just a nuisance. “Even more beautiful up close,” a tall, thin female omega said and ran a bony manicured finger across his jaw. 

“He truly is,” Hannibal said and twirled a lock of Will’s hair around his finger. It was growing long and in the way. If it got to this point before, he would just shave it all off, for simplicity, but the suggestion had made Hannibal actually drop the glass of red wine he was holding on the white carpet in the living-room. The thought kept Will’s forced smile on. 

The woman had a short bob cut and wore a long dress that was revealing for her age. She carried herself with more confidence than anyone should, causing her insecurities to shine through. Fear of old age, fear of loneliness and becoming undesirable. There was an attraction to Hannibal, that much was clear, but oddly enough, he saw no resentment towards himself. Some of the other older omegas had tons of it; hated him for being young and for holding their alphas’ uncomfortable gaze. Instead, this woman looked at him with longing, as if he was something she missed from her past. “Not drinking wine I see,” she said suddenly, putting on a mischievous smile. “Already?” she asked Hannibal. 

Hannibal moved his hand down from Will’s hair to his stomach. “Yes, but it’s very early, so please keep quiet for another month or so. We just found out for sure yesterday ourselves.” Will hated the way Hannibal looked when he talked about Will’s condition. Smiling smugly like a cat that finally managed to kill the family’s pet canary. 

“When is dinner?” Will asked Hannibal, still trying to pretend he was giving this woman in front of him attention as well, out of politeness that Hannibal cared for so much. 

“Not for another half hour,” Hannibal said. 

“Do you mind if I have a little rest until then? I met everyone, right?”

“Everyone of importance,” Hannibal said. “Sure you can’t hold out until dinner.”

“Let the poor boy rest!” she said and playfully slapped Hannibal’s chest. “I’ve had five children. I know how tiresome those first months are,” she explained and took Will’s arm and pulled him close to her. “Don’t worry. You get a little rest for a few months in the middle before you can barely carry your own weight.” 

“Hannibal,” Will said, and paused to make sure the alpha was really listening. “We’re not having five kids.”

Komeda laughed shrilly and clapped Will on the shoulder. “Just give him an alpha and you won’t have to try anymore. Where would you like to rest?”

“The library. I can get there on my own.” He folded his hands around hers and smiled the same way Hannibal smiled when he charmed his way out of situations. He’d practiced it in the mirror. It came close to perfect, but his smile was too crooked. But the way she smiled softly back, he supposed he’d managed. “Please, stay and enjoy the party.”

“Sure you’re fine?” Will nodded and scurried away as politely as he could. Winston waited for him in the small room and wagged his tail excitedly as he sat with him. Winston was a good dog, that was quiet and didn’t cry when left alone, though he was certain he disliked it. After turning off the lights but a dim lamp next to the divan, he lay down with the animal in his arms and let himself drift off to the smell of books and dog. Soon the smell of fresh water and earth followed as he lay in the grass next to the lake. 

It was no longer cold outside, but warm summer, and he wore only a light t-shirt and shorts. The sun made his cheeks burn pleasantly and he did not move away from it. Winston was there, running with the dogs of his past through the water, barking with joy. Some of the dogs were attempting to catch the fish they saw, biting at the water, but not Winston. He was too kind; had no desire for such a thing. The scene began to fade as an unfamiliar smell intruded, the smell of familiar expensive cologne, but on the wrong alpha. 

“Hannibal got himself a dog? That’s a surprise!”

He shot up from the sofa and saw the alpha in the doorway. Will had not been introduced to him, but had heard his name in passing. Apparently people were surprised he had shown up. What was his name? Stilton? Or was that the cheese Hannibal had gone on about?

“Dr. Chilton,” he said, strongly emphasising doctor. “But you may call me Frederick. Hannibal sure got himself a beauty.” Winston stiffened in Will’s arm. Not quite aggressive, but alert and suspicious. “Mind if I join you for a moment.”

“Yes.” 

Chilton had not expected that blunt of a response, and waited for Will to apologize, but there would be no apologies or explanations. This was his room. Only Hannibal was allowed in, and only due to the technicality that it was his house. “Your husband doesn’t want you alone with other eligible alpha’s, I’m sure,” he said, trying to rationalize the rejection. “But I’m a good friend of his. You can trust me.” He sat by his side on the divan and picked up the latest of the books Will had been reading. One of Hannibal’s old medical textbooks. Will had never had much interest in learning about medicine before, but it had turned out to be very interesting, even potentially useful. “Is Hannibal still reading this old outdated textbook? Good thing he switched to psychiatry.”

“I’m reading it.” 

Chilton looked at him with stunned eyes. “What are you doing reading books like this. This is far too complicated for an omega’s brain.”

For just a few seconds, Will closed his eyes and allowed himself to picture Chilton’s bloodsoaked body cut open on the divan, before opening them again to face the sad reality of Chilton being alive. “Why are you still here?”

“Aren’t we having a conversation?”

“No.” 

Chilton smiled a crooked smile and opened his mouth to speak, but thankfully was unable to do as the door to the library was opened. Hannibal stood there, nearly only a silhouette against the light background. He turned on the ceiling lights, revealing his face. While his smile was polite and his expression rested, those eyes could positively set fires. “Fredrick. Are you disturbing my omega during his rest?”

As Hannibal came up to Will and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, Will rested his head against the standing alpha’s thigh, knowing it would anger the other alpha. Chilton’s reaction was interesting. It was as if he was about to throw a child’s temper tantrum, suggesting to Will this was more about jealousy of Hannibal than genuine lust for Will. He was jealous of the admiration and wealth Hannibal had when his own inflated worth of self suggested he should be better. And as it was surprising to the other guests that Chilton were to arrive, Will could only assume Hannibal had done something to Chilton that warranted this petty attempt at revenge by seducing his rival’s omega, when any pretty and quiet omega would do in other circumstances, because he was incapable of empathy and love.

“We were just having a conversation,” Will said. “Is dinner ready?” 

“Yes. Are you feeling better?” 

“I am.” They both ignored their guest, Hannibal having only eyes for Will as he combed through his wavy hair with his fingers. But Hannibal’s compulsive politeness stopped it from going on too long, just long enough for it to vex the other doctor. “I’m hungry. Let’s head for dinner.” He gave Chilton a glance, a quick gloating one, before taking Will by the arm to lead him to the dining room. 

~~~~

When Hannibal had invited that impudent brat of an alpha Chilton, he had done so believing he would behave on this day of all days. Clearly, he had expected too much of him, but he was not about to let this ruin his party. Will looked beautiful despite his still somber expression, that could easily be blamed on the sweet light scent of pregnancy they were all certain to smell, but too polite to mention. And Komeda would spread the rumours quickly if there was any doubts or questions. The food was perfect, Will was perfect, everyone was enjoying themselves, but the doorbell ringing was about to ruin his special night more than Chilton ever could. 

The surprising sound halted the conversation, and Hannibal joked that whoever would arrive so late ought to become dinner themselves. One of the hired help, a young man wearing the same catering uniform as the rest went to get the door, as Hannibal knew all the guests were already accounted for and expected it to be a clueless, rude help that did not know to use the back entrance. But the young man returned pale faced and unsure. By then the guests had resumed their conversations, and only Will, the curious Komeda, and insufferable Chilton made an effort to listen in as he bent down next to Hannibal to whisper. “There is a man from New Orleans police department here to speak with you.”

Had they unraveled something regarding that dreadful social worker that had handled Will? It shouldn’t have been possible. There were no witnesses and he had left no dna evidence or fingerprints. “Tell him I will I speak with him shortly,” Hannibal said as he tried to think of anything that could have gone wrong, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted as he saw Will’s eye grow large and lips frown with disdain as he looked behind him, and the guests were silenced once again. 

A man wearing a cheap and tacky gray suit had entered their dining-room, and looked at them curiously while adjusting his tie. His hair was combed back with its natural grease, and he smelled of cheap beer and cheap aftershave. His face was angular and gaunt as if he hadn’t had a proper meal in years; body in a similar state. “Did I interrupt something?” he asked, far louder than necessary, his accent thick. 

“This is a dinner to celebrate our bonding,” Hannibal explained. “If you don't mind, let’s speak privately in the lounge.”

The officer completely ignored him and walked up to the table, put both hands on Will’s chair, momentarily tilting him forward, and scanned the table with squinting eyes. “What the hell is this?” he asked and picked up a piece of meat with his fingers and ate it. “Delicious, whatever it is.” Hannibal had never been more tempted to reveal what the meat actually was before. “Hey, Willy. You sure have grown. And your pretty face landed you in this house.” He looked up at the ceiling and paused momentarily at the intricate wood carvings. “What’d he pay for you? I heard you went for a ludicrous amount for some hick who never even went to kindergarten, much less school. Lucky little cunt.”

“Excuse me!” Hannibal exclaimed, and couldn’t help himself from standing abruptly to defend his omega. One way or another, police or not, this man was going to end up on his dinner table and be positioned in the most disgraceful manner possible. “Who are you and are you here for another reason than to insult my omega?”

“Name is detective DuBois,” he said, sounding as arrogant and boisterous as before, but had the common sense to move his hands away from Will. “I need your permission to start digging up the property you own in Mousseaux, Louisiana.” 

It took him a moment to place the name, having only been told it once before. “Will’s old home? What are you expecting to dig up?” 

“A body.” He chuckled. “Or several. Ya see, your little Willy’s dad killed some people, including the captain at my old precinct down in Mousseaux.” He made to nudge Will again, but stopped himself. “Even though the bastard kicked the bucket I still want to see him go down for this.”

“There has never been any evidence to indicate my father in any murder. Even circumstantial,” Will said sternly and the detective turned his head in surprise at the omega. “On what grounds do you want to start digging around my old house for?” 

“Because we found a human skull under your alpha’s house. Circumstantial enough?” 

Will’s brows furrowed. “That should be plenty to start digging around there without needing written permission from Hannibal. Unless the property was searched illegally, of course.”

The detective chuckled and turned his attention back to Hannibal, sore about being figured out by an omega. “You should keep your omega in check, Mr. Lecter.”

“That’s Dr. Lecter, and I will not reprimand my omega for speaking down to pathetic alphas such as yourselves. You will not get permission to do anything on that property until I speak with one of your superiors. Please allow this young man to escort you out.”

The young man immediately grabbed the detective by the arm began to lead him out of the room, but was pushed away violently. “You want to know what happened, Dr. Lecter? Your little omega cunt was in heat and seduced the captain, because he was desperate to get out of that little hellhole and then his father went and murdered him for ruining the only thing of value he owned. That’s what you just bonded with.”

Hannibal sighed, not sure whether he should indulge the man, but he could not have anyone slander Will like that in front of everyone of importance. “As Will was unmated before me, it’s difficult to believe your ridiculous fantasies.”

“It’s been a while, and you know what they say. Give it a few years and the hole grows back.”

“As a doctor, I can assure you this is not true. Leave now!”

The young caterer once again attempted to lead him outside, but the detective pushed him off this time as well, but left on his own. After taking a deep, silent breath, Hannibal turned to face his guests, who sat in different states of disbelief while also looking uncomfortably down into their wine glasses. Only Komeda and Chilton were honest enough in their emotions to stare questioningly back at Hannibal, and in Chilton’s case, with an aura of gloating. 

“I apologize for that eventful and rude interruption,” Hannibal said, still standing. He picked up his glass of wine and looked down at his omega, who looked apologetically up back at him. Those large blue eyes immediately calmed his heartbeat and warmed his chest. “What kind of delusions that man has I do not know, but I can assure you that was all his ramblings were. As you know, I lost my family when I was very young…” He paused to let the statement settle over the room, taking in a deep, shivering breath. “Ever since I have been alone. Lonely and lost, and while I’ve never spoken of this to anyone, no place I lived felt like home. Even this house felt empty and devoid of love. But that has all changed. My dear William is an omega worth more than I could ever pay for him, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him and finally have a family. Please,” he said and raised his glass, and the rest followed. “A cheers for my beautiful omega and for the future.” 

They cheered, a few moved to moist eyes even with that short of a speech, and Chilton made a pained grimace as he complimented Hannibal on the speech, angry he had managed to rescue the situation. There was certainly something left to be discussed with Will, however. 

~~~~~

There was a bottle of whiskey among the cleanup in the living-room. Will stared at it while the crew scurried around him. They were behind schedule and doing their best to catch up and go home on time. They did not notice Will taking the bottle and bringing it into the library, though he was not sure what he was supposed to do with it. He fed Winston scraps as he hid the bottle behind some books on the shelf. Drinking was not likely to kill the fetus, unless he drank enough to endanger himself, and he was not about to do that, nor was there any point in potentially causing birth defects. If he were to have a child, he’d rather it be healthy and not in any need of care beyond that of a normal healthy child. Thus it was nothing but a poor plan, but currently the only one he had. He wasn’t ready yet. He needed a few more years, at least. 

Hannibal entered the room, and Will realized quite a while had passed while just sitting there. “Shall we go to bed?” Hannibal asked, though there was no question. He wanted to talk upstairs. By then the house was empty and cleaned, and Hannibal locked up before they headed up for Hannibal’s bedroom. The alpha had already removed his jacket and tie, and continued to undress. Will had removed his suit the moment the last guest left and had already put on pajamas. “Care to explain what happened today?” Hannibal asked as he put on his robe, not looking Will’s way. 

“I read in one of your psychology books about alpha’s experiencing sexual attraction towards other alphas.”

“What does this have to do with anything, Will?” Hannibal asked curtly.

“It just put detective DuBois’ actions in a new light for me. I always found it strange how much he cared about his captain, and how angry he was that the captain was fond of me.”

There was a pause and Will watched Hannibal gather his thoughts as he planned his next course of action. Everything was like a game of chess in his head. All about being several steps ahead. “Was there some truth in what he said?”

Will laughed. “Hardly. Sheriff Trehan he was called. He was an avid fisherman and knew me and dad because of that. He was a disgusting pervert and kept asking my dad to buy me, but dad didn’t let him. I’d been appraised to about seventy thousand. Trehan couldn’t afford that and dad wasn’t going to give me up for less.”

As Will stopped speaking, Hannibal sat next to him on the bed and pulled him into a snug embrace. Will only recoiled a little. “What did he do then?” he whispered, stroking a suddenly gentle hand along his jaw. 

“I think I was fourteen years old. There had been some disappearances back then and Trehan tried to accuse my father of murdering them. At the time I didn’t understand why, but recent events have helped my surmise that if my father went to jail, I would go up for auction like I did when he passed.” Hannibal made a short sound to show he was listening. “But even though he had managed to convince DuBois he was right, because DuBois would do anything for Trehan, they found no evidence. Then during my heat, only my third one, he tried to rape me. Broke into our home while my dad was supposed to be out on the boat fishing. It would make me valueless. What he didn’t know was that my dad had stayed home. He’d drank himself unconscious the night before and couldn’t get up in time. Before Trehan could do anything, my dad smashed him over the head with a crowbar.” He was unsure how to explain what happened next, deciding on bluntness in the end. “To hide the body, he chopped him into pieces before going out into the woods to bury him. But while he was still chopping up his legs, a body went off with the head. We never found it.”

Hannibal ran a hand through Will’s hair. “How in the world was he never caught?”

Will shrugged. “This was far outside of New Orleans. No real police department had jurisdiction and nobody but DuBois cared about some alcoholic sheriff that in their eyes had probably just gone off fishing, drank too much and drowned.” 

“Should I authorize the excavation?”

Will paused. “It’s probably not a good idea. I tried to remove evidence after my father passed away, but I was taken away much faster than I thought I would be.” Hannibal didn’t like the implications of that statement. 

“Would you like to go back and sort things out in person? We’ll take a plane down to New Orleans this weekend and sell your property and take whatever was there that you still want.” 

Going home? It was something Will had thought would never happen and he’d found he didn’t mind that. He liked the library and he liked the fresher air of Maryland nature. He enjoyed his soft bed that didn’t smell of mold and dust. He didn’t want to go back. “There wasn’t much to begin with. My books will be hard to bring along.”

“That’s the least of our worries as long as there is proof your father murdered an officer of the law.” Will tried to make his expression more severe and sincere, making it appear he made the same priorities as his mate. Truth was he honestly didn’t care what people thought of his father, but he supposed it would affect Hannibal’s reputation. To get the alpha’s mind off things, Will laid back on the bed and gently raised his shirt to expose the skin on his stomach and the lines of his hips. “Are you trying to make me forget by seducing me?” he asked, with a faint amused glimmer in his eyes.

“Is it working?” Will asked, and received a chuckle in response. 

“Unfortunately for me, it is.” Will wasn’t quite fond of the act still, but had learned to at least enjoy the orgasm Hannibal insisted on him having. “You made me very happy today,” Hannibal whispered as he finished removing Will’s shirt. He slowly trailed kisses along his collarbone, but Will wished he would get a move on. 

“What in the world did I do to make you happy?” Will asked. “All I did was embarrass you.”

“That was not your doing. Just that police officer.” Will wondered if Hannibal realized his grip on him tightened with anger. “You treated my friends with more respect than most of them deserve and stood by my side.”

“I did not treat Dr. Chilton with much respect.”

“And yet still with more than he deserved,” he laughed warmly against his cheek, his warm breath on his ear. “I adore you, omega. Will.” Will waited for more, but the alpha stayed still. “May I draw you?”

Hannibal had talked about drawing Will before, but had yet to do so. “Why now? It’s late.” Will spoke softly, relaxed now that Hannibal seemed intent on doing something that wasn’t Will. 

“Today was an important day, rude interruptions or not. I want to commit it to memory and paper.” 

After a brief kiss, Hannibal stood from the bed and headed for his desk. Most of his art supplies were in the downstairs office, but he kept some of the basics there. Will had seen him many a night when he couldn’t sleep working at his desk. “How should I pose?” Will asked.

“Undress and lie down in a position that is comfortable for you.”

Will removed his garments one at a time, not realizing Hannibal had been staring intently until he finished. He had never posed for Hannibal before, and struggled to find a good position to rest in. Hannibal did not put his pencil to the paper while waiting for Will to settle, ultimately making Will even more uncomfortable. “Just lie down as if you are going to sleep,” Hannibal explained with a gentle smile.

Obeying, he wrapped his arms around his pillow and settled on his side. Immediately he heard the sound of graphite on paper. Being stared at in such an intense manner was a first for him. There was no arousal in Hannibal’s eyes, only focus and what Will could tell was affection, but the type of affection he was uncertain of. Affection for his property?

Without registering, he had nearly fallen asleep, only waking when Hannibal draped a thick blanket around him, caressing his belly as he did.


End file.
